(Photo by The Associated Press)
The political season is officially underway, and no less than 12 hopefuls have qualified for the election to succeed Kip Holden as mayor of Baton Rouge.
It’s an astounding number of candidates for a race that everyone knew would be contentious. Still, it’s only half as many as the unprecedented number of candidates who have signed up to run for the U.S. Senate seat that David Vitter is vacating.
After months of suffering through a torturous presidential nominating process that defied political wisdom at every turn, local and statewide races promise just as many surprises.
“It’s still early,” says political consultant Roy Fletcher. “Anything can happen.”
In the mayor’s race, nine of the 12 candidates to qualify had previously announced plans to run. The three latecomers are new to politics and largely unknown. Even among the nine, however, only five are considered serious candidates with fundraising operations in place: Sharon Weston Broome, John Delgado, Darryl Gissel, C. Denise Marcelle and Bodi White.
For months now, many have predicted a runoff between Broome, a former state senator with a strong base of support among black Democrats, and White, a current state senator popular among white Republicans. But since the Alton Sterling and police shootings last month, all bets are off.
Fletcher says Marcelle, who played a visible role at events following Sterling’s death, could give Broome a run for her money. He also predicts Gissel, a nonparty candidate, could emerge as an alternative to moderate voters hoping to bridge the city’s racial and economic divide.
But political pollster Bernie Pinsonat says White is the candidate to beat because of his large base of support stretching from Central and Zachary through unincorporated East Baton Rouge Parish.
In the crowded field for U.S. Senate, nine Republicans and seven Democrats are facing off along with eight independent or nonparty candidates. Among them is the state treasurer, two congressmen and former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
Already, Duke’s nascent bid has snagged more than its fair share of headlines. But Pinsonat says Duke will have a hard time competing against so many other well-funded, legitimate conservatives, especially given his 2002 guilty plea on federal charges of tax evasion.
Also worth watching is the 2nd Congressional District race, in which Holden is facing off against Cedric Richmond. Though the outgoing mayor still retains a base of support, Fletcher predicts he’ll have difficulty raising money against the popular New Orleans incumbent.
While the congressional race may turn out to be a sleeper, several Metro Council contests will not. Only two council members, Trae Welch and Donna Collins-Lewis, are returning to office unopposed. Several others face tough fights—and from old, familiar faces. Former Councilwoman Lorri Burgess is among those running against Tara Wicker, while former Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison is challenging Chauna Banks.
Will the outcome of those races produce a shift in the balance of power on the council, currently divided evenly between white Republicans and black Democrats?
Though experts say anything is possible this election season, that’s one dynamic that likely will not change.
—Stephanie Riegel
